Computer-Implemented Method and System for Smart Appliance Product Segmentation and Communication

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method for smart appliance product segmentation and communication, including: generating, with at least one processor, a plurality of product interest codes; assigning, with at least one processor, at least one product interest code of the plurality of product interest codes to each of a plurality of products of at least one merchant; based at least partially on a profile of a smart appliance user, associating, with at least one processor, at least one product interest code of the plurality of product interest codes with an interaction between the smart appliance user and at least one smart appliance; matching, with at least one processor, that at least one product interest code of at least one product with the at least one product interest code associated with the interaction; and automatically generating and transmitting, with at least one processor, at least one communication to the smart appliance user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/604,588, filed Apr. 12, 2018, which is theUnited States national phase of International Application No.PCT/US2018/027246 filed Apr. 12, 2018, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/485,215 filed Apr. 13, 2017, thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

This disclosure relates generally to smart appliance product directoriesand transactions, and in particular to a computer-implemented method andsystem for segmenting and matching products for, and communicationswith, potential consumers, as well as a computer-implemented method andsystem for facilitating transactions between smart appliance users andmerchants using an interest matching process.

2. Technical Considerations

Resource providers, such as merchants, provide goods, services, andother resources to customers. In order to curate products and servicesto be offered to customers, and to decrease the amount of time customersmust spend searching for and ordering products and services, merchantsmay provide a product directory to advertise or suggest products to acustomer. For example, such a product directory may track the purchasesof a group of customers and compile a database associating products thatcustomers tend to purchase together. When a specific customer views orpurchases one product, the product directory may identify other productsto the customer that appear to be relevant to the viewed or purchasedproduct. Additionally or alternatively, the product directory mayidentify products to a specific customer related to the products thatcustomer has purchased in the past.

Existing product directories are mutually beneficial to merchants andcustomers. For example, merchants are able to more efficiently advertisetheir products and services, while customers receive information onproducts that they may not otherwise have known existed or would nothave thought to purchase. When the product directory identifies aproduct that the customer was already intending to purchase, thecustomer is saved the time and inconvenience of identifying ithimself/herself.

However, a technical issue that arises in existing product directoriesis the limited ability of the product directory to accurately identifythe intent or preferences of a customer based on the nature and contentof a particular transaction. Specific customers normally have unique andpersonal preferences, intent, or motivations that may not be accountedfor simply by associating products that may be purchased together byother customers. Accordingly, existing product directories cannotaccount for aspects of a specific customer's lifestyle, activities,and/or personal preferences, which are better indicators of the productsand services that customer is likely to purchase.

Further, existing systems do not provide a secure transaction platformfor customers to purchase products and services through certain devices.As more “Internet of Things” (“IoT”) devices, such as smart appliances,provide their own local purchasing platforms and services, customersecurity becomes an increasing concern. Particularly, sensitive customerfinancial information, such as credit card information, should beappropriately secured and protected regardless of the communicationpaths between the customer and the merchant that include the IoT device.

Accordingly, there is a need in the technological arts for providingsystems and methods for implementing, managing, controlling, orotherwise processing customer interest or preference data to allowmerchants to effectively curate and offer their products and services tospecific customers. Additionally, there exists a need in thetechnological arts for providing systems and methods for implementingsecure transactions between merchants and customers using IoT devices,hereinafter “smart appliances”.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, and generally, provided is an improved computer-implementedmethod, system, and computer program product for smart appliance productsegmentation and communication.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, provided is acomputer-implemented method for smart appliance product segmentation andcommunication, comprising: (a) generating, with at least one processor,a plurality of product interest codes; (b) assigning, with at least oneprocessor, at least one product interest code of the plurality ofproduct interest codes to each of a plurality of products of at leastone merchant; (c) based at least partially on a profile of a smartappliance user, associating, with at least one processor, at least oneproduct interest code of the plurality of product interest codes with aninteraction between the smart appliance user and at least one smartappliance; (d) matching, with at least one processor, that at least oneproduct interest code of at least one product with the at least oneproduct interest code associated with the interaction; and (e)automatically generating and transmitting, with at least one processor,at least one communication to the smart appliance user.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, at least one product interestcode of the plurality of product interest codes comprises at least oneof the following: a stock keeping unit (SKU), a universal product code(UPC), a category, a subcategory, a product category, a product group, aproject code, a weight, a ranking, a partner-assigned code, amerchant-assigned code, a user-assigned code, an alphanumeric code, orany combination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the plurality of products aresegmented according to at least one of the following: smart appliancetype, partner, merchant, transaction type, merchant data, user data,subscription data, weighting data, ranking data, or any combinationthereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the at least one communicationcomprises at least one of the following: an advertisement, an offer, adiscount, a link, an interactive interface, a selectable element, avoice-based communication, a plurality of products, or any combinationthereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the interaction is a transactioninteraction between the smart appliance user and at least one of thefollowing: the at least one smart appliance, a point-of-sale, a smartphone, a computer, or any combination thereof. In another non-limitingembodiment or aspect, the interaction comprises a transactioninteraction between the smart appliance user and the at least one smartappliance, and wherein the at least one communication comprises anadvertisement for purchase of at least one product.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the profile of the smartappliance user comprises at least one of the following: user data,transaction data, browsing data, searching data, historical data, aresponse to a query, behavioral data, interaction data, interest data,at least one product interest code, or any combination thereof. Inanother non-limiting embodiment or aspect, the step (c) comprises: (c1)analyzing the profile of the smart appliance user; (c2) analyzing theinteraction between the smart appliance user and the at least one smartappliance; and (c3) assigning at least one product interest code to theinteraction. In a further non-limiting embodiment or aspect, theanalysis is performed by at least one of the following: a computer, aserver, the at least one smart appliance, a merchant server, atransaction processing server, a third-party server, or any combinationthereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, each of the plurality ofproducts is associated with at least one of the following: merchantname, product name, product image, short description, detaileddescription, video, unit price, delivery method, delivery costs, stockdata, inventory data, promotional data, or any combination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the method further comprisesmodifying at least one product interest code assigned to at least oneproduct based upon at least one of the following: user interaction withthe at least one smart appliance, user interaction with a link,transaction success, transaction failure, transaction termination, userviewing behavior, user online interaction, or any combination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, at least one product interestcode comprises at least one weight or rank, wherein the step (d) isperformed at least partially based on the at least one weight or rank.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the step (d) is performed basedupon a one-to-one match between the product interest code of the productand the product interest code associated with the interaction.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the method further comprisesautomatically generating and transmitting a subsequent communicationbased at least partially on at least one of the following: userinteraction with the at least one smart appliance, user interaction witha link, transaction success, transaction failure, transactiontermination, user viewing behavior, user online interaction, or anycombination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects the method further comprisesreceiving, from at least one merchant system, product data for at leastone product; and assigning each product to at least one of thefollowing: a partner category, a smart appliance category, a usercategory, a product-type category, an interest category, at least oneproduct interest code, or any combination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the interaction is a transactioninteraction, and the method comprises: transmitting, by the at least onesmart appliance, a communication request comprising at least one of thefollowing: a partner category, a smart appliance category, a usercategory, a product-type category, an interest category, at least oneproduct interest code, or any combination thereof; determining at leastone qualifying merchant; determining at least one applicable smartappliance category; and determining at least one product based at leastpartially on at least one of the following: the at least one productinterest code, at least one weight, at least one rank, or anycombination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the profile of the smartappliance user is generated based on data from at least one of thefollowing: a transaction processing provider, the at least one smartappliance, a third-party server, a partner, a merchant, or anycombination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, provided is acomputer-implemented method for facilitating a transaction of a smartappliance user, comprising: automatically generating and transmitting atleast one communication to the smart appliance user based at leastpartially on a matching process between user profile data and selectedproduct data in a product database; after selection of at least oneproduct of a merchant in the at least one communication, causing aninitiation of an authorization request for the transaction with atransaction processing server, the authorization request comprising atransaction amount; based at least partially on a response to theauthorization request, automatically transmitting a secured transactionpayload to a merchant server associated with the merchant; and based atleast partially on data in the secured transaction payload, completingthe transaction between the smart appliance user and the merchant forthe at least one product.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the at least one communicationis configured to cause at least one of the following: visual contentgenerated on a display of the at least one smart appliance, audiblecontent transmitted through a speaker of the at least one smartappliance, or any combination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the at least one communicationis generated based at least partially on an interaction of a user withat least one smart appliance. In another non-limiting embodiment oraspect, the interaction is a transaction interaction, wherein the atleast one communication is transmitted after payment informationassociated with the transaction interaction is received.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the authorization request isgenerated and transmitted by a user device to the transaction processingserver based at least partially on a communication between the at leastone smart appliance and the user device. In another non-limitingembodiment or aspect, the secured transaction payload is transmittedfrom the transaction processing server to at least one of the userdevice and the at least one smart appliance.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the secured transaction payloadis transmitted from at least one of user device and the at least onesmart appliance to the merchant server.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the method further comprisestransmitting transaction data with the secured transaction payload tothe merchant server, the transaction data comprising at least one of thefollowing: transaction data, merchant data, product data, or anycombination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the method further comprisesautomatically transmitting a payment request from the merchant server tothe transaction processing server, the payment request comprising thesecured transaction payload.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, provided is a system forsegmenting and communicating in a smart appliance environment,comprising at least one server including at least one processorprogrammed or configured to: (a) generate a plurality of productinterest codes; (b) assign at least one product interest code of theplurality of product interest codes to each of a plurality of productsof at least one merchant; (c) based at least partially on a profile of asmart appliance user, associate at least one product interest code ofthe plurality of product interest codes with an interaction between thesmart appliance user and at least one smart appliance; (d) match the atleast one product interest code of at least one product with the atleast one product interest code associated with the interaction; and (e)automatically generate and transmit at least one communication to thesmart appliance user.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, provided is a computer programproduct for segmenting and communicating in a smart applianceenvironment, comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readablemedium having program instructions stored thereon, which, when executedby at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to: (a)generate a plurality of product interest codes; (b) assign at least oneproduct interest code of the plurality of product interest codes to eachof a plurality of products of at least one merchant; (c) based at leastpartially on a profile of a smart appliance user, associate at least oneproduct interest code of the plurality of product interest codes with aninteraction between the smart appliance user and at least one smartappliance; (d) match the at least one product interest code of at leastone product with the at least one product interest code associated withthe interaction; and (e) automatically generate and transmit at leastone communication to the smart appliance user.

Further non-limiting embodiments or aspects will be set forth in thefollowing clauses.

Clause 1: A computer-implemented method for smart appliance productsegmentation and communication, comprising: (a) generating, with atleast one processor, a plurality of product interest codes; (b)assigning, with at least one processor, at least one product interestcode of the plurality of product interest codes to each of a pluralityof products of at least one merchant; (c) based at least partially on aprofile of a smart appliance user, associating, with at least oneprocessor, at least one product interest code of the plurality ofproduct interest codes with an interaction between the smart applianceuser and at least one smart appliance; (d) matching, with at least oneprocessor, that at least one product interest code of at least oneproduct with the at least one product interest code associated with theinteraction; and (e) automatically generating and transmitting, with atleast one processor, at least one communication to the smart applianceuser.

Clause 2: The method of claim 1, wherein at least one product interestcode of the plurality of product interest codes comprises at least oneof the following: a stock keeping unit (SKU), a universal product code(UPC), a category, a subcategory, a product category, a product group, aproject code, a weight, a ranking, a partner-assigned code, amerchant-assigned code, a user-assigned code, an alphanumeric code, orany combination thereof.

Clause 3: The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of productsare segmented according to at least one of the following: smartappliance type, partner, merchant, transaction type, merchant data, userdata, subscription data, weighting data, ranking data, or anycombination thereof.

Clause 4: The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the at least onecommunication comprises at least one of the following: an advertisement,an offer, a discount, a link, an interactive interface, a selectableelement, a voice-based communication, a plurality of products, or anycombination thereof.

Clause 5: The method of any of claims 1-4, wherein the interaction is atransaction interaction between the smart appliance user and at leastone of the following: the at least one smart appliance, a point-of-sale,a smart phone, a computer, or any combination thereof.

Clause 6: The method of any of claims 1-5, wherein the interactioncomprises a transaction interaction between the smart appliance user andthe at least one smart appliance, and wherein the at least onecommunication comprises an advertisement for purchase of at least oneproduct.

Clause 7: The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein the profile of thesmart appliance user comprises at least one of the following: user data,transaction data, browsing data, searching data, historical data, aresponse to a query, behavioral data, interaction data, interest data,at least one product interest code, or any combination thereof.

Clause 8: The method of any of claims 1-7, wherein step (c) comprises:(c1) analyzing the profile of the smart appliance user; (c2) analyzingthe interaction between the smart appliance user and the at least onesmart appliance; and (c3) assigning at least one product interest codeto the interaction.

Clause 9: The method of any of claims 1-8, wherein the analysis isperformed by at least one of the following: a computer, a server, the atleast one smart appliance, a merchant server, a transaction processingserver, a third-party server, or any combination thereof.

Clause 10: The method of any of claims 1-9, wherein each of theplurality of products is associated with at least one of the following:merchant name, product name, product image, short description, detaileddescription, video, unit price, delivery method, delivery costs, stockdata, inventory data, promotional data, or any combination thereof.

Clause 11: The method of any of claims 1-10, further comprisingmodifying at least one product interest code assigned to at least oneproduct based upon at least one of the following: user interaction withthe at least one smart appliance, user interaction with a link,transaction success, transaction failure, transaction termination, userviewing behavior, user online interaction, or any combination thereof.

Clause 12: The method of any of claims 1-11, wherein at least oneproduct interest code comprises at least one weight or rank, wherein thestep (d) is performed at least partially based on the at least oneweight or rank.

Clause 13: The method of any of claims 1-12, wherein the step (d) isperformed based upon a one-to-one match between the product interestcode of the product and the product interest code associated with theinteraction.

Clause 14: The method of any of claims 1-13, further comprisingautomatically generating and transmitting a subsequent communicationbased at least partially on at least one of the following: userinteraction with the at least one smart appliance, user interaction witha link, transaction success, transaction failure, transactiontermination, user viewing behavior, user online interaction, or anycombination thereof.

Clause 15: The method of any of claims 1-14, further comprising:receiving, from at least one merchant system, product data for at leastone product; and assigning each product to at least one of thefollowing: a partner category, a smart appliance category, a usercategory, a product-type category, an interest category, at least oneproduct interest code, or any combination thereof.

Clause 16: The method of any of claims 1-15, wherein the interaction isa transaction interaction, the method comprising: transmitting, by theat least one smart appliance, a communication request comprising atleast one of the following: a partner category, a smart appliancecategory, a user category, a product-type category, an interestcategory, at least one product interest code, or any combinationthereof; determining at least one qualifying merchant; determining atleast one applicable smart appliance category; and determining at leastone product based at least partially on at least one of the following:the at least one product interest code, at least one weight, at leastone rank, or any combination thereof.

Clause 17: The method of any of claims 1-16, wherein the profile of thesmart appliance user is generated based on data from at least one of thefollowing: a transaction processing provider, the at least one smartappliance, a third-party server, a partner, a merchant, or anycombination thereof.

Clause 18: A computer-implemented method for facilitating a transactionof a smart appliance user, comprising: automatically generating andtransmitting at least one communication to the smart appliance userbased at least partially on a matching process between user profile dataand selected product data in a product database; after selection of atleast one product of a merchant in the at least one communication,causing an initiation of an authorization request for the transactionwith a transaction processing server, the authorization requestcomprising a transaction amount; based at least partially on a responseto the authorization request, automatically transmitting a securedtransaction payload to a merchant server associated with the merchant;and based at least partially on data in the secured transaction payload,completing the transaction between the smart appliance user and themerchant for the at least one product.

Clause 19: The method of claim 18, wherein the at least onecommunication is configured to cause at least one of the following:visual content generated on a display of the at least one smartappliance, audible content transmitted through a speaker of the at leastone smart appliance, or any combination thereof.

Clause 20: The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein the at least onecommunication is generated based at least partially on an interaction ofa user with at least one smart appliance.

Clause 21: The method of any of claims 18-20, wherein the interaction isa transaction interaction, wherein the at least one communication istransmitted after payment information associated with the transactioninteraction is received.

Clause 22: The method of any of claims 18-21, wherein the authorizationrequest is generated and transmitted by a user device to the transactionprocessing server based at least partially on a communication betweenthe at least one smart appliance and the user device.

Clause 23: The method of any of claims 18-22, wherein the securedtransaction payload is transmitted from the transaction processingserver to at least one of the user device and the at least one smartappliance.

Clause 24: The method of any of claims 18-23, wherein the securedtransaction payload is transmitted from at least one of user device andthe at least one smart appliance to the merchant server.

Clause 25: The method of any of claims 18-24, further comprisingtransmitting transaction data with the secured transaction payload tothe merchant server, the transaction data comprising at least one of thefollowing: transaction data, merchant data, product data, or anycombination thereof.

Clause 26: The method of any of claims 18-25, further comprisingautomatically transmitting a payment request from the merchant server tothe transaction processing server, the payment request comprising thesecured transaction payload.

Clause 27: A system for segmenting and communicating in a smartappliance environment, comprising at least one server including at leastone processor programmed of configured to: (a) generate a plurality ofproduct interest codes; (b) assign at least one product interest code ofthe plurality of product interest codes to each of a plurality ofproducts of at least one merchant; (c) based at least partially on aprofile of a smart appliance user, associate at least one productinterest code of the plurality of product interest codes with aninteraction between the smart appliance user and at least one smartappliance; (d) match the at least one product interest code of at leastone product with the at least one product interest code associated withthe interaction; and (e) automatically generate and transmit at leastone communication to the smart appliance user.

Clause 28: A computer program product for segmenting and communicatingin a smart appliance environment, comprising at least one non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having program instructions stored thereon,which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least oneprocessor to: (a) generate a plurality of product interest codes; (b)assign at least one product interest code of the plurality of productinterest codes to each of a plurality of products of at least onemerchant; (c) based at least partially on a profile of a smart applianceuser, associate at least one product interest code of the plurality ofproduct interest codes with an interaction between the smart applianceuser and at least one smart appliance; (d) match the at least oneproduct interest code of at least one product with the at least oneproduct interest code associated with the interaction; and (e)automatically generate and transmit at least one communication to thesmart appliance user.

These and other features and characteristics of the present invention,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structures and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description and the appended claims with reference to theaccompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification,wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in thevarious figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that thedrawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only andare not intended as a definition of the limits of the disclosure. Asused in the specification and the claims, the singular form of “a,”“an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlydictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional advantages and details of the invention are explained ingreater detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments thatare illustrated in the accompanying schematic figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a non-limiting embodiment or aspect ofa computer-implemented method and system for smart appliancesegmentation and communication according to the principles of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a non-limiting embodiment or aspect ofa computer-implemented method and system for smart appliancesegmentation and communication according to the principles of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a non-limiting embodiment or aspect ofa computer-implemented method and system for smart appliancesegmentation and communication according to the principles of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a non-limiting embodiment or aspect ofa computer-implemented method and system for smart appliancesegmentation and communication according to the principles of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a non-limiting embodiment or aspect ofa computer-implemented method and system for smart appliancesegmentation and communication according to the principles of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a computer-implemented method andsystem for a transaction system for smart appliances according to theprinciples of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the terms “communication” and “communicate” may refer tothe reception, receipt, transmission, transfer, provision, and/or thelike, of information (e.g., data, signals, messages, instructions,commands, and/or the like). For one unit (e.g., a device, a system, acomponent of a device or system, combinations thereof, and/or the like)to be in communication with another unit means that the one unit is ableto directly or indirectly receive information from and/or transmitinformation to the other unit. This may refer to a direct or indirectconnection (e.g., a direct communication connection, an indirectcommunication connection, and/or the like) that is wired and/or wirelessin nature. Additionally, two units may be in communication with eachother even though the information transmitted may be modified,processed, relayed, and/or routed between the first and second unit. Forexample, a first unit may be in communication with a second unit eventhough the first unit passively receives information and does notactively transmit information to the second unit. As another example, afirst unit may be in communication with a second unit if at least oneintermediary unit (e.g., a third unit located between the first unit andthe second unit) processes information received from the first unit andcommunicates the processed information to the second unit. In somenon-limiting embodiments, a message may refer to a network packet (e.g.,a data packet, and/or the like) that includes data. It will beappreciated that numerous other arrangements are possible.

As used herein, the term “merchant” may refer to an individual or entitythat provides goods and/or services, or access to goods and/or services,to customers based on a transaction, such as a payment transaction. Theterm “merchant” or “merchant system” may also refer to one or morecomputer systems operated by or on behalf of a merchant, such as aserver computer executing one or more software applications. A“point-of-sale (POS) system,” as used herein, may refer to one or morecomputers and/or peripheral devices used by a merchant to engage inpayment transactions with customers, including one or more card readers,near-field communication (NFC) receivers, RFID receivers, and/or othercontactless transceivers or receivers, contact-based receivers, paymentterminals, computers, servers, input devices, and/or other like devicesthat can be used to initiate a payment transaction.

As used herein, the term “smart appliance” may refer to one or moreelectronic devices configured to communicate with one or more networks,including, but not limited to a network-enabled appliance (e.g., anetwork-enabled television, a refrigerator, a thermostat, an IoT deviceor system, a home appliance, a smart voice-based assistant, a lightingsystem, a heating/cooling system, a kitchen appliance, a securitysystem, a car-connected device, and/or the like), a computer, a clientdevice, a computing device, a POS system, and/or any other device orsystem (or software application) capable of communicating with or withina network.

As used herein, the term “portable financial device” may refer to apayment card (e.g., a credit or debit card), a gift card, a smartcard,smart media, a payroll card, a healthcare card, a wrist band, amachine-readable medium containing account information, a keychaindevice or fob, an RFID transponder, a retailer discount or loyalty card,a cellular phone, an electronic wallet mobile application, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a pager, a security card, a computer, an accesscard, a wireless terminal, a transponder, and/or the like. In somenon-limiting embodiments, the portable financial device may includevolatile or non-volatile memory to store information (e.g., an accountidentifier, a name of the account holder, and/or the like).

The term “account data,” as used herein, refers to any data concerningone or more accounts for one or more users. Account data may include,for example, one or more account identifiers, user identifiers,transaction histories, balances, credit limits, issuer institutionidentifiers, and/or the like.

As used herein, the term “server” may refer to or include one or moreprocessors or computers, storage devices, or similar computerarrangements that are operated by or facilitate communication andprocessing for multiple parties in a network environment, such as theinternet, although it will be appreciated that communication may befacilitated over one or more public or private network environments andthat various other arrangements are possible. Further, multiplecomputers, e.g., servers, or other computerized devices, e.g.,point-of-sale devices, directly or indirectly communicating in thenetwork environment may constitute a “system,” such as a merchant'spoint-of-sale system. Reference to “a server” or “a processor,” as usedherein, may refer to a previously-recited server and/or processor thatis recited as performing a previous step or function, a different serverand/or processor, and/or a combination of servers and/or processors. Forexample, as used in the specification and the claims, a first serverand/or a first processor that is recited as performing a first step orfunction may refer to the same or different server and/or a processorrecited as performing a second step or function.

As used herein, the term “computing device” may refer to one or moreelectronic devices that are configured to directly or indirectlycommunicate with or over one or more networks. The computing device maybe a mobile device. As an example, a mobile device may include acellular phone (e.g., a smartphone or standard cellular phone), aportable computer, a wearable device (e.g., watches, glasses, lenses,clothing, and/or the like), a PDA, and/or other like devices. Thecomputing device may not be a mobile device, such as a desktop computer.Still further, a computing device may be or include a smart appliance ornetwork-enabled appliance. Furthermore, the term “computer” may refer toany computing device that includes the necessary components to receive,process, and output data, and normally includes a display, a processor,a memory, an input device, and a network interface. An “application” or“application program interface” (API) refers to computer code or otherdata sorted on a computer-readable medium that may be executed by aprocessor to facilitate the interaction between software components,such as a client-side front-end and/or server-side back-end forreceiving data from the client. An “interface” refers to a generateddisplay, such as one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) with whicha user may interact, either directly or indirectly (e.g., through akeyboard, mouse, etc.).

As used herein, the term “financial device” may refer to a portablepayment card (e.g., a portable financial device, a credit card, a debitcard, and the like), a gift card, a smartcard, smart media, a payrollcard, a healthcare card, a wrist band, a machine-readable mediumcontaining account information, a keychain device or fob, an RFIDtransponder, a retailer discount or loyalty card, a mobile deviceexecuting an electronic wallet application, a personal digitalassistant, a security card, an access card, a wireless terminal, and/ora transponder, as examples. The financial device may include a volatileor a non-volatile memory to store information, such as an accountidentifier or a name of the account holder. The financial device maystore account credentials locally on the device, in digital ornon-digital representation, or may facilitate accessing accountcredentials stored in a medium that is accessible by the financialdevice in a connected network.

Non-limiting embodiments or aspects of the present invention aredirected to computer-implemented methods for smart appliance productsegmentation, product matching, and communication in a smart applianceenvironment, and for facilitating a transaction initiated by a smartappliance user. Embodiments or aspects of the present invention providethe technological environment and infrastructure for implementing,managing, controlling, or otherwise processing smart appliance productsegmentation, matching, and communication. Embodiments or aspects of thepresent invention generate product interest codes and/or productinterest categories and assign those interest codes to products and/orservices of a merchant. Based on a user profile of the smart applianceuser, a product interest code or category is associated with aninteraction of the smart appliance user with the smart appliance. Basedon a communication, a user device and/or a smart appliance may displayan advertisement, an offer, a discount, a link, an interface, aselectable element, a voice communication, a product list, or the liketo the smart appliance user. In this manner, merchants may curateproducts and/or services to a user based on the user's profile.

Other non-limiting embodiments or aspects of the present inventionprovide the technological environment and infrastructure forfacilitating a transaction of a smart appliance user interacting in asmart appliance environment. Some embodiments or aspects involvegenerating and transmitting a communication to the smart appliance userbased on matching user profile data with product data, which may beinitiated based at least partially on a transaction interaction of theuser, such as a shopping behavior or similar interactions. Afterselection of at least one product in the communication, an authorizationrequest for a transaction may be sent to a transaction processingserver. In this manner, a user may authorize a transmission of a securedtransaction payload to a merchant via a user's device and/or the smartappliance. Still further, the matching of a smart appliance user with aspecific product or products may be a dynamic process that is refinedbased upon feedback from the smart appliance user, historical data, orinformation related to the smart appliance user, thereby “learning” moreabout the user or type of user, to provide more relevant or personalizedcommunications. Generally, non-limiting embodiment or aspects provide atechnological environment that facilitates an intuitive assigning andmatching system that provides for improved transactional relationshipsbetween a smart appliance user and a merchant.

With reference to FIG. 1, and in a non-limiting embodiment or aspect,provided is a computer-implemented method and system 100 for smartappliance product segmentation and communication. This exemplaryembodiment includes at least one server 102 (having at least oneprocessor), which is in communication with at least one database 104programmed or configured to store data for use in implementing thepresently-invented method. The at least one server 102 may be associatedwith a merchant, a transaction processing system (e.g., VisaNet®), athird-party system, a service provider, a smart appliance system, and/ormay be distributed and implemented through a combination of multipleservers and systems. In addition, the at least one server 102 may be incommunication with one or more merchant systems (e.g., servers operatedby the merchant) 106, from which product or associated data is received,such as information and data associated with the merchant and theirproducts, services, or resources (collectively referred to as“products”). Still further, the at least one server 102 may be incommunication with one or more smart appliances 108 a, 108 b, 108 ceither directly or indirectly through a user device 110, such as a smartphone, a server, computer, and/or other electronic device operated by auser. In this manner, the system 100 represents a network environmentthat facilitates communication between the at least one server 102, themerchant systems 106, the user devices 110, and the smart appliances108. The smart appliance 108 may be in the form of any network-enabledconsumer device, such as a television, a refrigerator, a washingmachine, a kitchen appliance, a portable home network-enabled device, avoice-based assistant, a vehicle-connected device, a thermostat, and thelike.

According to non-limiting embodiments or aspects, and with references toFIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of product interest codes (PICs) aregenerated and one or more PICs are assigned to each of a plurality ofproducts of one or more merchants. Once each product is associated withor assigned one or more PICs, the information is stored in the database104 for further use in the method and system 100. Based at leastpartially on a profile 112 of a smart appliance user (U), the methodfurther includes associating at least one PIC with an interaction (I)between the smart appliance user (U) and at least one smart appliance108 owned by the user (U). In another non-limiting embodiment or aspect,the interaction (I) may be between the user (U) and his or her userdevice 110, where the user device 110 is in communication with oroperable to monitor or control the smart appliance 108.

In non-limiting embodiment or aspects, and with continued reference toFIG. 2, the user profile 112 may be activated, stored, or otherwiseaccessible on or through one or more of: the at least one server 102,the user device 110, the smart appliance 108, a third-party device orserver, the user's server or network, and/or any computer programmed orconfigured to create, store, and/or manage the profile data of the smartappliance user (U). Accordingly, a user profile 112 is established anddeveloped for each smart appliance user (U), either at the individuallevel, the household level, and/or the smart appliance level. Stillfurther, and either in the user profile 112 and/or on the at least oneserver 102, the user's interests, preferences, and/or motives will beassociated with one or more PICs, and based on the interaction (I).

Next, the method may include matching the PIC or PICs of at least oneproduct with the PIC or PICs associated with the interaction (I). Asdiscussed hereinafter, this matching process may entail variousmatching, assigning, grouping, ranking, and/or weighting techniques.Finally, and as illustrated in FIG. 3, at least one communication (C) isautomatically generated and transmitted to the smart appliance user (U),whether at the user device 110, at the smart appliance 108, and/or atsome other accessible interface of the user (U). Based upon theassignment and matching process, the content of the communication (C) ismodified, tailored, or configured to be relevant to the specific user(U) and/or smart appliance 108.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the PIC may take a variety offorms, including, but not limited to: a stock keeping unit (SKU) (e.g.,a product-specific code), a universal product code (UPC), a category(e.g., home/garden, sports, technology, etc.), a subcategory (e.g.,cooking, gardening, home design under the home/garden category,baseball, football, basketball under the sport category, consumerproducts and IoT systems under the technology category, and the like), aproduct category, a product group, a project code (e.g., a specificproject in which the user (U) is engaged), a weight (e.g., adetermination of the relevance of the product and user interest), aranking (e.g., a ranking assigned by a merchant), a partner-assignedcode (e.g., a smart appliance manufacture code or category), amerchant-assigned code (e.g., a smart appliance product merchant code orcategory), a user-assigned code (e.g., an interest code of the user(U)), an alphanumeric code, or any combination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the products of the merchant maybe segmented into specified searchable categories. These categories maybe associated with one or more unique PICs. For example, the productsmay be segmented according to at least one of the following: smartappliance type (e.g., a home appliance, a smart voice-based assistant, arefrigerator, a lighting system, a heating/cooling system, a kitchenappliance, a security system, a car-connected device, etc.), partner(e.g., a smart appliance manufacturer), merchant (e.g., a provider ofproducts or services), transaction type (e.g., debit, credit, repeat,first-time, etc.), merchant data (e.g., merchant-specific information),user data (e.g., user-specific information), subscription data (e.g.,merchants or partners that subscribe for participation in the system100, with the option of identifying specific product catalogs, specificproducts, product groupings, individual items, and the like forinclusion in the communication (C) generated for a particularinteraction (I)), weighting data (e.g., weighting for relevance),ranking data (e.g., ranking by the merchant), or any combinationthereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, and with reference to FIG. 3,the content and nature of the communication (C) may take a variety offorms, such as at least one of the following: an advertisement, anoffer, a discount, a link (e.g., a link that can be activated to directthe user (U) to an online location), an interactive interface (e.g., agraphical user interface (GUI)), a selectable element, a voice-basedcommunication (e.g., a voice communication from a smart voiceassistant), a plurality of products (e.g., a listing of multipleproducts that meet the interest criteria, or PIC), or any combinationthereof. In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the communication (C)is configured to cause at least one of the following: visual contentgenerated on a display of the smart appliance 108 or user device 110,audible content transmitted through a speaker of the smart appliance 108or user device 110, or any combination thereof.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, and in non-limiting embodiments oraspects, the interaction (I) is a transaction interaction (TI) betweenthe smart appliance user (U) and the smart appliance 108, apoint-of-sale, a smart phone (e.g., a user device 110), and/or acomputer or server. Such a transaction interaction (TI), as potentiallyidentified by the smart appliance 108, may be determined based upon ashopping behavior of the user (U). For example, the transactioninteraction (TI) is between the smart appliance user (U) and one of hisor her smart appliances 108 (e.g., smart appliance 108 b), and, afterthe matching process, the communication (C) is in the form of anadvertisement or offer for one or more relevant products of at least onemerchant.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, and with reference to FIG. 4,the user profile 112 of the smart appliance user (U) includesinformation or data that may be used to determine relevant interestsand/or one or more PICs. For example, the user profile 112 may bepopulated with one or more of the following: user data (e.g.,demographic, age, gender, income, etc.), transaction data (e.g., datarelated to the present or historical transactions of the user (U)),browsing data, searching data, historical data (e.g., data regardingprevious interactions between the user (U) and the smart appliance 108),a response to a query (e.g., responses to specific questions posed tothe user (U)), behavioral data, interaction data, interest data, atleast one product interest code (e.g., a PIC assigned at the smartappliance level, the server level, or selected by the user (U)), or anycombination thereof. In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, associatingthe PIC with an interaction (I) between the user (U) and a smartappliance 108 may include the sub-steps of: analyzing the profile 112 ofthe smart appliance user (U); analyzing the interaction (I) between thesmart appliance user (U) and the smart appliance 108; and assigning atleast one PIC to the interaction (I). In non-limiting embodiments oraspects, the analysis is performed by at least one of the following: acomputer, a computing device, a processor, the at least one server 102,the at least one smart appliance 108, a merchant system 106 or server, atransaction processing server (e.g., VisaNet®), a third-party server(e.g., a partner system or server operated by a partner), or anycombination thereof. In addition, and with continued reference to FIG.4, each of the products is associated with at least one of thefollowing: merchant name, product name, product image, shortdescription, detailed description, video, unit price, delivery method,delivery costs, stock data, inventory data, promotional data, or anycombination thereof. In addition, this information and data may beprovided from the merchant system 106 to the at least one server 102,such as through a merchant interface (not shown).

As illustrated in FIG. 4, and non-limiting embodiments or aspects, themethod and system 100 includes a dynamic feedback and modificationfunction. For example, one or more components of the system 100 may beprogrammed or configured to modify one or more PICs that have beenassigned to at least one product based upon at least one of thefollowing: user interaction (e.g., a feedback interaction (FI) with oneor more of his or her smart appliances 108, user devices 110, and/or theat least one server 102), user interaction with a link, an indication ofa successful transaction, an indication of a failed transaction, anindication of a prematurely terminated transaction, user viewingbehavior, user online interaction, or any combination thereof. Innon-limiting embodiments or aspects, one or more components of thesystem 100 may be programmed or configured to automatically generate andtransmit a subsequent (or revised) communication (SC) to the user (U),such as through his or her user device 110 or smart appliance 108. Forexample, and based upon feedback interaction (FI), a subsequentcommunication (SC) may be generated and transmitted and include revised,and potentially more tailored or relevant content, to the user (U).Accordingly, this feedback loop provides a dynamic “learning”environment to provide more relevant information to the user (U). Inaddition, this subsequent communication (SC) may be based at leastpartially on at least one of the following: user interaction (e.g., afeedback interaction (FI) with one or more of his or her smartappliances 108, user devices 110, and/or the at least one server 102),user interaction with a link, an indication of a successful transaction,an indication of a failed transaction, an indication of a prematurelyterminated transaction, user viewing behavior, user online interaction,or any combination thereof. In addition, this feedback may be used toupdate the user profile 112 in an iterative process that may be used inconnection with a subsequent interaction (I).

As discussed above, and in non-limiting embodiments or aspects, and withreference to FIG. 5, the interest information and/or interaction (I)data is received from or through the user profile 112, the user device110, and/or the smart appliance 108. Similarly, the product informationand data is received from or through a merchant system 106 and smartappliance data is received from or through a third-party system 120(e.g., a partner system). Initially, in a segmentation process 121, themerchant data and/or product data is segmented or categorized, such asby smart appliance type, user data, product type, interest, and/or PIC,and used in a matching process 122. As discussed, the matching process122 may be in the form of or entail a ranking process 124, a weightingprocess 126, and/or a one-to-one matching process 128.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, one or more components of thesystem 100 (e.g., the at least one server 102) receive, from at leastone merchant system 106, product data for at least one product, andassign each product to at least one of the following: a partnercategory, a smart appliance category, a user category, a product-typecategory, an interest category, at least one product interest code, orany combination thereof. This assignment process may be part of thesegmenting by the merchant system 106 or the at least one server 102.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the interaction (I) is atransaction interaction (TI), and the smart appliance 108 transmits acommunication request including at least one of the following: a partnercategory, a smart appliance category, a user category, a product-typecategory, an interest category, at least one product interest code, orany combination thereof. One or more components of the system 100 (e.g.,the at least one server 102) determine at least one qualifying merchant(e.g., a merchant that has subscribed to the system 100), determine atleast one applicable smart appliance category, and determine at leastone product based at least partially on at least one of the following:one or more PIC, at least one weight, at least one rank, or anycombination thereof. Further, and as discussed above, the user profile112 of the smart appliance user may be generated or revised based ondata from at least one of the following: a transaction processingprovider (e.g., VisaNet®), the at least one smart appliance 108, athird-party server, a partner, a merchant, or any combination thereof.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, and with reference to FIG. 6,provided is a computer-implemented method and system 200 forfacilitating a transaction of a smart appliance user (U). In particular,and in this embodiment, the system 200 may include the above-discussedserver 102, smart appliance 108 a, 108 b, merchant system 106 a, 106 b,and user device 110. Further, the system 200 includes a transactionprocessing server 202, which processes transactions (typicallycard-based transactions) between the user (U) and a merchant.Accordingly, and in the example where the user (U) is a portablefinancial device user, he or she is assigned a primary account number(PAN) that is associated with his or her account. The merchant providesproduct and service information and data from the merchant system 106 a,106 b to the at least one server 102 in the form of merchant input (MI).The nature and content of this product data has been previouslydiscussed.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, at least one communication (C)is automatically generated and transmitted to the smart appliance user(U) based at least partially on a matching process between user profiledata and selected product data in a product database, which has beendiscussed above in detail. After selection of at least one product of amerchant in the at least one communication (C), an authorization request(AR) is generated or initiated by or through the user device 110 and/orthe smart appliance 108 a, 108 b, and this authorization request (AR)(which includes at least user data, account data, and transactionamount) is transmitted to the transaction processing server 202 (e.g.,VisaNet®). The authorization request (AR) is processed and, if approved,a secured transaction payload (STP) is transmitted to the user device110 and/or the smart appliance 108 a, 108 b. In the example where thesmart appliance 108 a sends the authorization request (AR), the use of asecured (e.g., encrypted) transaction payload (STP) ensures that thesmart appliance 108 a itself is not capturing or storing sensitive orprivate information associated with the user (U), such as specific userdata, billing information, shipping information, PAN, expiration date,and the like.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, and with continued reference toFIG. 6, secured transaction payload (STP) is transmitted (either fromthe user device 110 or the smart appliance 108 a, 108 b) to the merchantserver or system 106 a, 106 b associated with the merchant. Based atleast partially on the data and information of the secured transactionpayload (STP), the transaction between the smart appliance user (U) andthe merchant is completed for purchase of the product or service. Innon-limiting embodiments or aspects, the method further includestransmitting transaction data (TD) together with the secured transactionpayload (STP) to the merchant system 106 a, 106 b, where the transactiondata includes at least one of the following: transaction data, merchantdata, product data, or any combination thereof. For example, thetransaction data (TD) may include sufficient information regarding thepurchased product or service for the purpose of allowing the merchant tocomplete the transaction. In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, thetransaction data (TD) includes some or a portion of the datacorresponding to the data in the secured transaction payload (STP).Finally, the merchant system 106 a, 106 b transmits a payment request(PR) to the transaction processing server 202, and this payment request(PR) includes or is associated with the secured transaction payload(STP).

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the communication (C) isgenerated based at least partially on a transaction interaction (TI) ofa smart appliance user (U), and the communication (C) is transmittedafter payment information associated with the transaction interaction(TI) is received. Accordingly, the financial information (e.g., theuser's PAN, expiration data, and personal information), is already knownwithin the system 200 and is not transmitted through the smart appliance108 in an unprotected manner. In non-limiting embodiments or aspects,and as discussed above, the authorization request (AR) may be generatedand transmitted by or through the user device 110 to the transactionprocessing server 202 based at least partially on a communicationbetween the at least one smart appliance 108 and the user device 110.

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, provided is a system 100 forsegmenting and communicating in a smart appliance environment, thesystem 100 including at least one server 102 having at least oneprocessor programmed or configured to: (a) generate a plurality of PICs;(b) assign at least one PIC to each of a plurality of products of atleast one merchant; (c) based at least partially on a profile 112 of asmart appliance user (U), associate at least one PIC with an interaction(I) between the smart appliance user (U) and at least one smartappliance 108; (d) match the at least one PIC of at least one productwith the at least one PIC associated with the interaction (I); and (e)automatically generate and transmit at least one communication (C) tothe smart appliance user (U).

In non-limiting embodiments or aspects, provided is a computer programproduct for segmenting and communicating in a smart applianceenvironment, including at least one non-transitory computer-readablemedium having program instructions stored thereon, which, when executedby at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to: (a)generate a plurality of PICs; (b) assign at least one PIC to each of aplurality of products of at least one merchant; (c) based at leastpartially on a profile 112 of a smart appliance user (U), associate atleast one PIC with an interaction (I) between the smart appliance user(U) and at least one smart appliance 108; (d) match the at least one PICof at least one product with the at least one PIC associated with theinteraction (I); and (e) automatically generate and transmit at leastone communication (C) to the smart appliance user (U).

In this manner, the present disclosure provides an improvedcomputer-implemented method, system, and computer program product forsmart appliance product segmentation and communication.

Although the disclosure has been described in detail for the purpose ofillustration based on what is currently considered to be the mostpractical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that suchdetail is solely for that purpose and that the disclosure is not limitedto the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to covermodifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood thatthe present disclosure contemplates that, to the extent possible, one ormore features of any embodiment can be combined with one or morefeatures of any other embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating atransaction of a smart appliance user, comprising: automaticallygenerating and transmitting at least one communication to the smartappliance user based at least partially on a matching process betweenuser profile data and selected product data in a product database; afterselection of at least one product of a merchant in the at least onecommunication, causing an initiation of an authorization request for thetransaction with a transaction processing server, the authorizationrequest comprising a transaction amount; based at least partially on aresponse to the authorization request, automatically transmitting asecured transaction payload to a merchant server associated with themerchant; and based at least partially on data in the securedtransaction payload, completing the transaction between the smartappliance user and the merchant for the at least one product.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the at least one communication is configuredto cause at least one of the following: visual content generated on adisplay of at least one smart appliance, audible content transmittedthrough a speaker of the at least one smart appliance, or anycombination thereof.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least onecommunication is generated based at least partially on an interaction ofa user with at least one smart appliance.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein the interaction is a transaction interaction, and wherein the atleast one communication is transmitted after payment informationassociated with the transaction interaction is received.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein the authorization request is generated andtransmitted by a user device to the transaction processing server basedat least partially on a communication between at least one smartappliance and the user device.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein thesecured transaction payload is transmitted from the transactionprocessing server to at least one of the user device and the at leastone smart appliance.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the securedtransaction payload is transmitted from at least one of a user deviceand at least one smart appliance to the merchant server.
 8. The methodof claim 1, further comprising transmitting transaction data with thesecured transaction payload to the merchant server, the transaction datacomprising at least one of the following: transaction data, merchantdata, product data, or any combination thereof.
 9. The method of claim1, further comprising automatically transmitting a payment request fromthe merchant server to the transaction processing server, the paymentrequest comprising the secured transaction payload.
 10. A system forfacilitating a transaction of a smart appliance user, comprising atleast one processor programmed or configured to: automatically generateand transmit at least one communication to the smart appliance userbased at least partially on a matching process between user profile dataand selected product data in a product database; after selection of atleast one product of a merchant in the at least one communication, causean initiation of an authorization request for the transaction with atransaction processing server, the authorization request comprising atransaction amount; based at least partially on a response to theauthorization request, automatically transmit a secured transactionpayload to a merchant server associated with the merchant; and based atleast partially on data in the secured transaction payload, complete thetransaction between the smart appliance user and the merchant for the atleast one product.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least onecommunication is configured to cause at least one of the following:visual content generated on a display of at least one smart appliance,audible content transmitted through a speaker of the at least one smartappliance, or any combination thereof.
 12. The system of claim 10,wherein the at least one communication is generated based at leastpartially on an interaction of a user with at least one smart appliance.13. The system of claim 12, wherein the interaction is a transactioninteraction, and wherein the at least one communication is transmittedafter payment information associated with the transaction interaction isreceived.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein the authorization requestis generated and transmitted by a user device to the transactionprocessing server based at least partially on a communication between atleast one smart appliance and the user device.
 15. The system of claim14, wherein the secured transaction payload is transmitted from thetransaction processing server to at least one of the user device and theat least one smart appliance.
 16. The system of claim 10, wherein thesecured transaction payload is transmitted from at least one of a userdevice and at least one smart appliance to the merchant server.
 17. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is furtherprogrammed or configured to: transmit transaction data with the securedtransaction payload to the merchant server, the transaction datacomprising at least one of the following: transaction data, merchantdata, product data, or any combination thereof.
 18. The system of claim10, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed orconfigured to: automatically transmit a payment request from themerchant server to the transaction processing server, the paymentrequest comprising the secured transaction payload.
 19. A computerprogram product for facilitating a transaction of a smart applianceuser, comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable mediumincluding one or more instructions that, when executed by at least oneprocessor, cause the at least one processor to: automatically generateand transmit at least one communication to the smart appliance userbased at least partially on a matching process between user profile dataand selected product data in a product database; after selection of atleast one product of a merchant in the at least one communication, causean initiation of an authorization request for the transaction with atransaction processing server, the authorization request comprising atransaction amount; based at least partially on a response to theauthorization request, automatically transmit a secured transactionpayload to a merchant server associated with the merchant; and based atleast partially on data in the secured transaction payload, complete thetransaction between the smart appliance user and the merchant for the atleast one product.
 20. The computer program product of claim 19, whereinthe one or more instructions further cause the at least one processorto: transmit transaction data with the secured transaction payload tothe merchant server, the transaction data comprising at least one of thefollowing: transaction data, merchant data, product data, or anycombination thereof; and automatically transmit a payment request fromthe merchant server to the transaction processing server, the paymentrequest comprising the secured transaction payload.